Vulcan flying in for Bournemouth Air Festival

1:11pm Friday 9th August 2013

By Steven Smith

THE Vulcan is coming. Today the Daily Echo can reveal that the crowd-pleasing Cold War bomber will be at the Bournemouth Air Festival this year.

Fundraising efforts by the Bournemouth branch of Vulcan to the Sky and donations from Merley House and Stephen Young, Lord of Westbury and Waxham, have secured the plane’s appearance on Sunday, September 1.

There had been fears that Vulcan XH558 – the world’s last flying example – would not be visiting due to the near- £10,000 cost of a display.

That triggered a fundraising effort from the Bournemouth members of Vulcan to the Sky, who set up a Just Giving page and collected donations via members of Bournemouth Aviation Museum.

Wimborne’s Merley House got on board and, alongside Lord Young’s contribution, they have secured enough to let the Vulcan fly at Bournemouth.

Maggie Keet, from Vulcan to the Sky, said: “It’s excellent news, in two weeks we hit the target. We’re looking forward to seeing her.”

Adrian Gunner, MD of Merley House, added: “The Vulcan is such an iconic aircraft with an enormous following and I knew from parents at a very early age what a special aeroplane it really is.

“When we learned that Maggie had undertaken some fundraising to have the Vulcan fly at the Bournemouth Air Festival, we just couldn’t resist the opportunity to help out to make sure that the beautiful plane graced the skies of Bournemouth once more.”

Lord Young said he had grown up near RAF Benson in Buckinghamshire and saw Vulcans regularly as a child.

“I’ve been passionate about aircraft from about 14 years of age. I’m just in awe of the Vulcan,” he said.

Colston Nichols, who lives in Poole and flew on XH558, added: “It tugs at the old heart strings seeing it.”